Advocacy groups for children with special needs are worried about a slow uptake by schools for the special summer education programme. The autism charity AsIAm appealed to schools to opt in to provide the programme, which was a much-needed support for children with additional needs. He welcomed a clarification today from the Department of Education that schools can offer smaller groups for students with higher support needs. But Ms Dempsey said that apart from the “extremely low take-up by schools, parents were facing “real difficulties in sourcing home-based tutors”. As well as catering for children with special educational needs, there is a focus on other students at greatest risk of educational disadvantage.

Source: Irish Independent May 26, 2021 19:09 UTC